'Boss Baby,' 'Beauty' outshine 'Smurfs 3' at box office

'Strange things start happening': Crouse on 'It' CTV's Film Critic Richard Crouse says moviegoers look at 'It Chapter Two', 'Becoming Nobody' and 'Once Were Brothers'.

LOS ANGELES -- The Smurfs are feeling a little blue this weekend.

The third instalment in Sony's animated series, "Smurfs: The Lost Village," made its box-office debut in third place, with US$14 million -- far behind family-friendly holdovers "The Boss Baby" and "Beauty and the Beast," according to studio estimates Sunday.

Featuring the voices of Demi Lovato and Joe Manganiello, "Smurfs," which reportedly cost $60 million to make, has not charmed critics either. Its earnings were worse than the 2013 opening of "Smurfs 2," which went on to gross $347.5 million worldwide despite a $17.5 million debut and a heftier $105 million price tag.

But the fate of the third "Smurfs" is not necessarily sealed, says ComScore's senior media analyst, Paul Dergarabedian.

"There are other revenue streams for films like this," Dergarabedian said, noting international profits and home video potential that could recoup production costs.

In first place, "The Boss Baby" added $26.3 million in its second weekend in theatres, bringing its North American total to $89.4 million. Sufficient buzz and the benefit of voice star Alec Baldwin's popular portrayal of President Donald Trump on "Saturday Night Live" likely helped the film succeed, Dergarabedian said.

Meanwhile, "Beauty and the Beast" earned $25 million to take second place at the box office. In four weeks, Disney's live-action fairy tale has brought in $432.3 million domestically.

While the family films dominated, moviegoers had other options on a relatively quiet weekend. The tepidly reviewed buddy comedy "Going in Style," starring Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin, opened in fourth place, with $12.5 million.

The faith-based drama "The Case for Christ" also launched with $3.9 million from 1,174 theatres.

In limited release, the Chris Evans drama "Gifted" took in $476,000 from 56 theatres, while the World War II drama "Their Finest" grossed $77,000 from four screens in New York and Los Angeles.

The relative quiet at the box office is ending soon. "The Fate of the Furious," the eighth instalment in "The Fast and the Furious" franchise, speeds into theatres next weekend, followed by "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" a few weeks later.

"There are a lot of box-office heavyweights looming on the horizon," Dergarabedian said.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to comScore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1."The Boss Baby," $26.3 million

2."Beauty and the Beast," $25 million.

3."Smurfs: The Lost Village," $14 million.

4."Going in Style," $12.5 million.

5."Ghost in the Shell," $7.4 million.

6."Power Rangers," $6.2 million.

7."Kong: Skull Island," $5.8 million.

8."Logan," $4.1 million

9."Get Out," $4 million.

10."The Case for Christ," $3.9 million.

------

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theatres (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to comScore:

1. "Ghost in the Shell," $41.3 million.

2. "The Boss Baby," $37.5 million.

3. "Beauty and the Beast," $36.1 million.

4. "Smurfs: The Lost Village," $22 million.

5. "Kong: Skull Island," $16 million.

6. "The Devotion of Suspect X," $9.1 million.

7. "Power Rangers," $6.1 million.

8. "Life," $5.8 million.

9. "Going in Style," $4.3 million.

10. "Extraordinary Mission," $3.6 million.

------

Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by 21st Century Fox; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.